Finding Mary-Ann
by theprofessorandmaryann
Summary: Mary-Ann leaves when she is truly unappreciated. She leaves a note to the Professor saying that there's a possibility her temporary "vacation" will become a permanent stay. Without telling the others, he leaves to find her.
1. A Runaway Castaway

The girls sang the last bars of their song:

You need us

You need us

Like a bee

Needs its buzz

Like a bee needs its fuzz

So that's why

You need

You need us

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The men cheered, and all but the professor (who remained in his seat clapping and smiling) ran to congratulate Mrs. Howell and Ginger. The Professor noticed that no one swarmed around Mary-Ann the way they did the other two girls.

The Skipper picked Ginger up and twirled her around, and doing so he knocked Mary-Ann off the stage. But everyone was too interested in congratulating the others to notice.

The Professor walked over to her as she was standing up and brushing herself off. "Are you alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned. "Yes." She said, glaring angrily at the others (Particularly Ginger). "I'm used to it." She stormed off into her hut.

The Professor stared at the five castaways on stage until they got the hint and looked back.

"I hope your happy." He said angrily. "What?" asked the Skipper innocently.

Once the Professor explained, all the castaways looked guilty. "We didn't know…" said the Skipper, his head hanging.

The Professor walked towards Mary-Ann's and Ginger's hut. Right before he opened the door, he heard the cheering resume. He turned around to see the castaway's celebration resume as though nothing had happened. "The nerve!" he murmured to himself.

When he opened the door to the hut, he didn't find Mary-Ann. But there was a note. It read:

_Don't bother to look for me. I'll be back…most likely. _

_Think of it as a short vacation. I just need to get away for a while. _

_I hope you understand, Professor. (Assuming it's you-you're the only one who cares…) _

_Love_

_~Mary-Ann_

This made the Professor even angrier. The others had driven Mary-Ann to a point where she needed to leave?!

The Professor decided to find Mary-Ann. Even if she didn't agree to come back, he needed to talk with her. He went to his room to pack a few things. Meanwhile, he decided to leave the note for the others to find.


	2. A Rumble of Thunder

It had been three hours since he had left camp, and there was still no sign of Mary-Ann. Suddenly, a small canteen dropped from somewhere high up and landed about two feet in front of him.

He looked up to see a small bamboo tree house. "Mary-Ann?" he said quietly. He saw Mary-Ann hesitantly poke her head out one window. "Mary-Ann!" he ran over to a nearby vine and started to climb.

"How did you build this?" She shrugged. "I…I got your note and decided to find you." The Professor explained.

"Oh."

"This really is amazing, Mary-Ann!" exclaimed the Professor.

Mary-Ann smiled shyly. "Thanks." She mumbled. "Come in." The Professor entered the small hut and looked around.

Her hammock was attached to the tree trunk (in the very middle of the house) and stretched to one of the walls. There was a backpack with supplies and some provisions. There was also a small fire pit near the entrance.

"I suppose the others don't even care that I'm gone." Sighed Mary-Ann. The Professor cleared his throat. "They don't know yet. At least, I don't think they don't. You see, I left you're note for them and just left."

Suddenly, a rumble of thunder could be heard. "I'd better go before it rains." The Professor said reluctantly as he shimmied down the vine. "Be careful!" Mary-Ann shouted over the thunder.

Without looking back, he gave a thumbs-up to her and ran as fast as he could as it started to pour.


	3. A Bolt of Lightning

The Professor had reached camp just as the storm went from bad to worse. He found everybody in the storm cave.

"I hope Mary-Ann is alright." Said Gilligan. "Don't worry, Gilligan. Her house is in that tree over there." The Professor pointed to the tallest tree on the island.

"Meanwhile, this storm is getting worse." The Skipper said.

"Oh no…" The Professor whispered, more to himself than to the others. "What?" asked Ginger, very concerned. It was never good when the Professor said 'Oh no' during a storm. "If Mary-Ann's tree is the tallest, than it's the most likely to get stru- oh no!"

They all found out what the Professor meant when they saw Mary-Ann's tree get struck by lightning.

And then catch on fire.

And then go down.

"Mary-Ann!" The Professor yelled.

This hadn't happened.

It couldn't have. But it had.

Three hours later, the storm was over. The second it stopped raining, The Professor was out of the cave and flying through the jungle. He went under branches, over trunks, through bushes to get to her as fast as he could.

When he arrived, he saw everything that he didn't want to see. Mary-Ann's house was a big heap of bamboo, ashes and twigs. He scrambled over to the wreckage and began throwing the bamboo columns aside. Finally, he found Mary-Ann.

The tree had fallen on her. She was unconscious and barley alive. He knew he had to get her back to camp. Fast.

Even if he did, there was still very little hope for her.

But he was still going to hope.


	4. A happy ending

The five castaways waited around the bamboo table. "I do hope she's alright." Mrs. Howell said. The Professor was in his hut trying to save her. Gilligan got up and started to climb a tree. "Gilligan, what are you doing?" asked the Skipper. Gilligan continued to climb. "It's what Mary-Ann and I used to do when we were upset. Or bored." The Skipper rolled his eyes. "Gilligan, if I could reach you, I'd" "Yeah, Skipper, I know." He pretended to hit himself over the head and nearly fell out of the tree.

The Skipper rolled his eyes again. "Get down, Gilligan!" He said. "Here comes the Professor!" Everyone turned to look as the Professor exited his hut. "It's miraculous. She's going to make it!" All the castaways cheered.

Mary-Ann did make it. But she was still distant and gave the others (except the Professor and occasionally Gilligan.) the half-way cold shoulder. She built another tree house that wasn't as far away as the last one and began her life of semi-isolation over again.

"Skipper, it's my day to do the laundry. Do you know where the basket is?" The Professor asked. "Yeah, Gilligan finished his work early and wanted something to do. "I see. Is there any other work for me to do?"

"No."

"Well, then maybe I should go see Mary-Ann." He said, walking off in her direction. He got to the house, climbed up the vine, and knocked on the door. No answer. He looked to see a small homemade "blackboard" with the words 'out gathering' written on it. The Professor decided to go in and wait for her to return, as he often did.

This time, however, something caught his eye. A small journal sat on Mary-Ann's bed. "Should I?" he wondered to himself. His curiosity won over his fidelity as he bent over to pick up the book. After flipping through endless footnotes and other works, he found something very interesting.

A diary entry.

About him

It read:

Things just aren't going my way lately. I'm almost killed, my friends are ignoring me, and there are a heap of emotions that I have to keep bottled up inside. I hope this helps.

First off, I feel upset. My best friends in the world are making me feel unwanted and useless.

Except for one man.

His name is Roy, known to all as the Professor. He's sweet and kind and smart…and handsome.

But I know Ginger loves him and he probably loves her, too. So I'll bottle my feelings back up and suffer. It's just one other thing that tortures me and reminds me daily that Ginger Grant is everything and I'm nothing.

"So, I guess you know, huh?" Said Mary-Ann, who had come back from gathering some time ago.

The Professor was so startled; he dropped the book and jumped so high he nearly hit his head on the celling. "Oh Mary-Ann, I didn't mean- ." Mary-Ann stopped him. "It's okay Professor. I guess I was kind of hoping you'd read what I wrote about you. I knew I'd never be able to ask you and so…"

The Professor picked up the book and placed it gently on the bed. "Is it true that Ginger loves me?" he asked. "Yes…" said Mary-Ann, frowning more than she thought possible.

"She'll be so disappointed then." He said enveloping Mary-Ann in a hug and kissing her.

"Oh Professor, you really mean it?" said Mary-Ann, now SMILING more than she thought possible.

"Just promise me one thing." The Professor told her. "Anything!" said Mary-Ann.

"Come back with us." Mary-Ann nodded. She returned to camp and life went on.

And life was never bad again.

Until… The sequel : )


End file.
